


Somewhere Only We Know

by SmugdenSugdenDingle



Series: 28 Fics in February [10]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 20:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17732513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmugdenSugdenDingle/pseuds/SmugdenSugdenDingle
Summary: Two strangers meet in the dead of night





	Somewhere Only We Know

**Author's Note:**

> (I suck at summaries haha)
> 
> For @fell-down-a-rabbit-hole-of-music on Tumblr: 'For the 28 fic thingy: We accept the love we think we deserve -Robron 😊 this is a very lovely idea, I hope you'll get enough prompts! Can't wait for February'
> 
> this fic was inspired by the song "Somewhere Only We Know' by Keane, (hints the title) I hope y'all enjoy! sorry if there are any mistakes!

Aaron was sixteen when he first met Robert, in the middle of the forest, he had to get out of that house away from his mum, her whole lot, it was getting all too much, so he just started walking. It was late or maybe it was too early, he wasn’t sure which but one thing he was sure of it was way too dark for him to be wondering those masses of trees on his own. In a way it was peaceful. His mind seemed to calm being out in the night air, he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this way, all the anxiety and pain that he held onto 24/7, just seemed to dissipate. Dawn was near, the sky lighting up ever so slightly, that’s when he found it, the spot, a place the trees open to the sky, a calming stream passing by… it almost seemed too good to be true. He found himself sitting on the ground picking rocks at first and chucking them into the running water before eventually just sitting and staring.

“Oh, sorry,” he had heard causing him to jump. He looked over his shoulder to see the tall blonde man “I didn’t think anyone… I didn’t know…” the blonde stammered on.

Aaron pulled on his sleeves wiping the tears from his cheeks.

“Are… are you crying?” He asked concerned.

“No,” Aaron replied defensively with a gulp.

“I can go.”

Aaron didn’t say anything still tugging on his sleeves as he stared off

“Your… your Aaron aren’t you?” He questioned. “You’re Chas’s son, right?”  
Aaron glanced back, “And if I am?’ He asked finally saying something.

“No, I’m… I wasn’t… I didn’t mean anything by it,” he explained. “You just looked familiar is all and then I remembered,” he explained.  
‘Right,” is all Aaron replied.

“Do you mind if I join ya?” 

Aaron shrugged, “Do what you want,” he told the blonde. Robert hesitated at first before making his way over to sit next to the teen.

“Name’s Robert, by the way,” the blonde replied. 

“Right, I didn’t ask,” Aaron replied.

“Well, I thought it might get awkward, us, sitting here, me knowing who you were,” he explained. ”Beautiful here ain’t it”

“I know why I’m here,” Aaron stated out of the blue. “Question is why are you?” he went on.

“Probablythe same reason you're here," Robert explained

"Doubt it," Aaron muttered.

"I come here all the time," the blonde went on. "Get my best thinking done here." 

Aaron scuffed.

"What?" Robert questioned with a smirk. “There’s more to me than my looks you know," he teased.

Aaron laughed. 

“So you do know how to smile then?”

“I thought you said you came here to think,” Aaron stated.

“I did kind of,” Robert replied. “Came to say goodbye, really,” he explained.

Aaron frowned, “To a bunch of trees and a creek?” He questioned.

“Used to hike here with my mum all the time before she passed,” he explained. “and seeing as I’m leaving for a while couldn’t go without, well you know.”

“So you’re getting out of this place then?” Aaron asked not sure why he was carrying on a conversation with him.

“Believe me it’s not by choice.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Robert replied before the two fell quiet. “I…. I probably should get going,” Robert stated kind of abruptly.

“You just got here,” Aaron pointed out.

“Yeah, well I’ve got a long drive ahead of me,” he explained making it to his feet. Aaron looked up at the man. “Take care, Aaron.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since moving to the village Aaron found himself going back to that creek where he had met Robert. Three years had past and every time he went back to that place a part of him hoped he’d see him again but never did. He didn’t know why he barely knew the man, he had heard stories from Diane and Vic, his step-mum and sister but that was it, but for some reason, he couldn’t get the blonde out of his head. It was midday when he made the hike to the creek, he was having trouble focusing on work, even his uncle could tell, telling him to clear his head before he sacked him. 

“What’re the odds,” he heard, turning back to see Robert walking up behind him. He smirked, “You stalking me or something?” Aaron asked. 

“If I am I’m a horrible one at best,” Robert replied with a smirk. “Been years hasn’t it?”

“You sitting?” Aaron asked looking back at the man.

“Is that an invite?” He asked making his way over to the other man sitting down next to him.

Aaron laughed, “Vic mentioned you were coming into town for a visit.”

“You know Vic?”

“It’s a small village, Mate, it’s kinda hard not to know everyone,” Aaron explained.

“So you look…. different,” Robert replied.

“What as opposed to the way I did when I was 16?” Aaron questioned. “I’ll take that as a compliment, I guess.” 

Robert didn’t say anything.

“You know I can see why you and your mum liked it here some much,” Aaron explained looking up at the trees. 

“So you come here a lot then?”

“Anytime my mum or Paddy are doing my head in,” he explained. 

“Paddy Kirk?” Robert questioned. “the local Vet?”

“Long story,” Aaron replied.

“I’ve got time,” Robert explained.

“Trust me you don’t want to know.”

“Maybe I do,” he argued. “Plus you’d be doing me a favor,” he explained. “Told Vic and Diane I’d be late, ’traffic’,” he explained. 

Aaron hesitated at first staring at the man.

“So who is this Paddy to you and why does he ‘do your head in’?” Robert asked.

“Why do you care?” Aaron asked defensively almost out of instinct.

“The truth?’ He asked.

“No a lie would be preferable,” Aaron replied sarcastically causing Robert to laugh.

“You seem like an interesting bloke, Mr. Livsey,” he explained.

“How?”

“Like you said a small village, plus I talk to Vic and Diane on the phone like twice a month, village gossip tends to pop into the conversation every once and a while,” he explained.

“So what do you know about me?” Aaron asked.

“I know you’re living in the pub with your mum and Vic and Diane now,” he began. “You work for Cain at the garage and you’re apparently dead good at it,” he added.

“Stalker, I told ya,” Aaron replied with a smirk.

Robert laughed, “Guilty I suppose.”

“I heard a lot about you know,” Aaron explained.

“Don’t believe everything-“

“Wouldn’t be sat here if I did,” Aaron explained.

Robert stared at him, “Paddy’s like my Dad,” Aaron explained.

“What?”

“You asked who Paddy was to me, he’s like my Dad,” he explained. “Closest thing to a proper one,” he went on. They sat there for hours talking, it was weird. They didn’t know why they did if they were honest, they were two complete strangers to each other but it felt easy to talk to one another as if they’ve known each other for years. It just felt right. It wasn’t until Aaron got an angry text from Cain that the two decided to go their separate ways.

“I’ll see you at the pub then?” Robert questioned.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Aaron replied.

“Later then.”

“Later.” 

The truth though they never did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It would be another three years until the two would meet again, Aaron spending a couple of years in France ‘living’ abroad, but he was back now he had done his time in prison and was out. Free. Years of looking over his shoulders, all of that, done. It didn’t seem real.His head was still banging from the night before from the celebratory drinks, which is why he chose sneaking out of the pub around lunch to avoid his mother. He made his way up the dirt path, regretting the drinks from the night before instantly, when he saw him, black leather jacket, blue jeans… “This is a change,” He called out stopping dead in his tracks. Robert turned with his hands buried in the pockets of the leather jacket, a grin grew on his face at the sight of the other man.

“There he is,” Robert replied. “The free man.”

“So you heard?” He questioned making his way over to the bloke.

“Hard not too,” Robert explained.

“Word around the Village is that you’re moving back,” Aaron remarked.

“Yep,” Robert replied. “My boss bought Home Farm and decided to move his headquarters here,” he explained. “So it looks like we’ll be roommates.”  
“Lucky us,” Aaron replied shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Good to have you back, I guess.”

“Yeah, you too,” Robert replied. “So… word around the village is that you left to protect Adam,” Robert explained.

“And so what if I did?”

“No, nothing,” Robert explained. 

“Adam is a mate.”

“Some mate,” Robert retorted.

“Are you gonna start on me and all?” Aaron questioned. “Because I got enough of it before I went to prison from my mum,” he added.

“Sorry.”

“It’s not like anyone around here really missed me anyways,” Aaron replied sincerely.

“You must not think much of your relationships,” Robert replied. “According to Diane, your Mum’s been going out of her mind with worry ever since you’d gone,”he explained.

Aaron didn’t say anything.

“You know…we accept the love we think we deserve,” Robert told the younger man.

“Thanks, oh wise one,” Aaron replied.

“I reckon that’s why you run away,” Robert explained. “You don’t think you deserve it,” he went on. 

“You don’t know me,” Aaron snapped.

“It’s why I’ve been gone for so long… I didn’t think I deserved to be here with my family,” he explained. “Something my dad said to me years ago… thought I was better off on my own,” he went on.

“Maybe you were,” Aaron argued.

“Where you?” Robert asked. “ ‘living’ abroad, on your own?”

Aaron didn’t say anything. 

“Thought not,” Robert replied. “ Looks like new beginnings for the both of us, then,” he added.

“I suppose.”

“Reckon it won’t be too bad though if you’re gonna be around,” Robert stated with a smile.

Aaron smirked.

“You know…. the whole time I was gone…” he began turning to face Aaron. “There were to two things I couldn’t get out of my mind,” he explained meeting eyes with Aaron.

“What’s that?” Aaron questioned almost in a whisper as Robert freed his hands from his pockets. 

“This place,” he started. “And you…” he explained, his hands meeting the side of Aaron’s face. Aaron pulled back, “I… I should go,” Aaron muttered pulling out of the older man’s grip. Robert quickly stopping him, grabbing him by the arm pulling him into his embrace, his lips attacking Aaron’s, his hands resting on both sides of Aaron’s face. Aaron melted into the kiss, his hands grasping at the other man’s biceps, digging his nails into the leather.

“Wow,” Aaron muttered after the two slowly broke apart.

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to do that,” Robert replied his eyes still closed. “Can I buy you a pint?” He asked opening his eyes the two still frozen in place.

“Heads still killin’ me from last night,” Aaron explained.

“In town for lunch then?” Robert suggested. “My car is parked down the way.”

“Could go for a burger,” Aaron simply replied.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: SmugdenSugdenDingle


End file.
